TDS & Associates

Insert Molding

Incorporated in 1989 by founders Jim Dilbeck and Mike Roberts, Microplastics operates within a 50,000 square foot facility in St. Charles, IL, 30 miles west of Chicago. State-of-the-art injection molding machines produce thousands of insert molded components three shifts a day. The facility houses a full-service Toolroom with advanced CNC and EDM capabilities. Our engineering group provides design assistance and develops products using the latest solid modeling tools in the industry.

Microplastics controls the entire process in-house, from engineering and tooling through molding and assembly. The program management team guides each project from design and development through part approval and production. Bringing a project in on time, within budget, is a strength they possess.

Market and Product Experience

Serving automotive, computer, appliance, telecommunications, medical, and electronics customers, Microplastics offers a wealth of applications experience. Switches, relays, lighting components, connectors, timers, sensors, filters, and disk and tape drive components are among the many products we have manufactured in our dedicated insert molding facility.

Insert molding is a highly efficient process by which metal stampings, bushings, electromechanical parts, filtration materials, and other discrete parts are combined into a single component through the injection of thermoplastic around the carefully placed parts (inserts).

How can insert molding help me improve my next component?

Insert molding can be a highly efficient alternative to the assembly of discrete parts using soldering, connectors, fasteners, or adhesives. Its benefits over such methods include:

  • Reduced assembly and labor costs
    Because insert molding joins numerous components with thermoplastic, assembly and labor costs are greatly minimized. For example, a single stamping can be overmolded, then perforated to create multiple circuit paths.
  • Reduced size and weight
    By eliminating fasteners and connectors, and by combining the physical strength of resin and metal inserts, insert molding yields smaller and lighter components.
  • Increased reliability
    With every part tightly secured in thermoplastic, an insert molded component prevents part loosening, misalignment, improper terminations, and other problems. The thermoplastic resin also provides improved resistance to shock and vibration.
  • Increased design flexibility
    Designers appreciate the virtually unlimited configurations that insert molding allows. For example, in creating a 3D circuit board, overmolding permits circuitry to move freely through the part, from inside to outside, up walls, down in holes-and the plastic ties it all together.

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